Hamilton looks to attack into Turn 1: 'Definitely an opportunity'

The seven-time world champion does not yet know whether Ferrari can match Mercedes' race pace today, but he hopes to take the lead into Turn 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Hamilton is set to start from P2, lining up alongside pole-sitter George Russell.

During the drivers' parade, the Briton said: "It's hot! But I feel good. I don't know if it's the best one but it's definitely one of the strong ones. Mercedes obviously have a lot of power."

He continued: "But it is a long run to Turn One and that's definitely an opportunity, so we'll just try and maximise there. Then, after that, it's who can look after their tyres better, I guess, and I hope we can have similar pace to the guys ahead. If we do, hopefully we can have a good race."

His former teammate, George Russell added: "It feels great to get pole position here in Barcelona. Spain holds a special place in my heart and I'm hoping to have a great race today.

For the first time this season, the current championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, will not start from the front row. On the other hand, while speaking to Sky Sports, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff argued that the Italian has the best slot on the grid.

"Third is probably the best position if you have a good getaway for the start. That's why I wanted to emphasise the one car rule through Turn 1. If you're coming there and you look left and right, it's about braking late and putting your nose in," he explained. Follow the session with GPblog's liveblog here!